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Committee Members

UCD Widening Participation Committee Members

UCD's Widening Participation (WP) Committee is made up of 31 members, representing the University's various programme boards, policy and support units, as well as students.

Professor John Brannigan
Chair | University Widening Participation Committee  

Professor Brannigan is Professor of English, and previously Head of the School of English, Drama and Film, University College Dublin. He is the author of several books on modern and contemporary Irish and British literature, and specialises in the study of the relationship between literature and the sea. The first in his family to go to university, Professor Brannigan is committed to ensuring that UCD is a university for all. 

Professor Olaf Schmidt | Agriculture and Food Sciences 

Professor Schmidt represents the Agriculture and Food Science Programme Board. He is Head of Subject of Agri-Environmental Science, Professor at the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science where he teaches entomology and soil science, and a member of the Executive of the UCD Earth Institute. Outside UCD, Olaf is Secretary of Global Action Plan (GAP) Ireland, a charity based in Ballymun that focuses on behaviour change to promote environmental sustainability in communities.

Dr Fionnuala Walsh | Arts & Humanities

Dr Walsh is Associate Professor in Modern Irish History. Her research interests are primarily in the field of women's and gender history with particular interest in civilian experiences of the First World War and the Irish revolution, women's writings of war and conflict in Ireland and Britain in the twentieth century, and histories of reproduction, maternity and motherhood. Fionnuala has extensive interests in inclusive teaching practices and efforts to improve student engagement. She was appointed a University for All Faculty Partner to represent the College of Arts and Humanities in 2021 and currently serves as the College Widening Participation Lead and the School of History Director of Teaching and Learning. She is also part of a College SATLE project which explores generative AI from an inclusion and accessibility perspective. She has a particular interest in supporting mature students, drawn from her experience of working with the UCD Access Programme.

Dr Ellen Rowley | Architecture, Planning & Environmental Policy

Ellen Rowley is Assistant Professor in Modern Irish Architecture at the School of Architecture, Planning & Environmental Policy, University College Dublin. She is an architectural and cultural historian, a teacher and a writer. Interested in architectural obsolescence, the intersection of social histories and buildings, and the place of the Catholic Church in Ireland’s built environment, she has published extensively including Housing, Architecture and the Edge Condition (2019, Routledge, Taylor + Francis); and (co-editor), Making Belfield. Space + Place at UCD (2020, UCD Press); as well as More Than Concrete Blocks, volumes 1 and 2 (2016/9, Four Courts Press) which are socio-cultural histories of Dublin’s buildings from 1900 to 1972. Volume 3 is currently under production. In 2017, Ellen was awarded Honorary Membership of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland, for services to Irish architecture. Always grateful for the privilege of a great education, Ellen is an advocate for access to university education and specifically, the need for widening participation in architectural education.

Aoife Doherty | Business

Aoife is the School Office Director for the UCD Lochlann Quinn School of Business.

Dr Md Sallaudin | Engineering

Dr Md Salauddin is an Assistant Professor in the School of Civil Engineering, where his teaching and research focus is Water and Environmental Engineering. He joined the School of Civil Engineering as an Assistant Professor in 2020, prior to which, he held research positions at the University of Warwick and at the University College Dublin on research projects funded by the European Regional Development Fund. Md Salauddin also worked as a Faculty Member at the Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, where he was engaged in teaching and research activities in hydraulics and water resources engineering.

Dr Gavin Barrett | Law

Gavin is a professor specialising in EU Law in the Sutherland Law School, UCD, and the sometime Jean Monnet Professor of European Economic and Constitutional Law. He is the author or editor of several books on EU law, most recently co-editing The Future of Legal Europe: Will We Trust in It? and has published articles in the Common Market Law Review, the European Law Review, the European Constitutional Law Review, the Yearbook of European Law, the Cambridge Yearbook of European Legal Studies, the European Law Journal as well as numerous book chapters. He is a frequent contributor to both broadcast and written media. He was recently the recipient of a university research impact award and was previously the School Head of Teaching and Learning. He is coordinator of the Dublin EU Law Working Group as well as a frequent chair and contributor at the Institute of International and European Affairs. 

Associate Professor Suzanne Donnelly | Medicine

Associate Professor Donnelly is UCD Director of Clinical Education and consultant rheumatologist at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital. In January 2017, she was appointed Associate Dean for Programmes & Educational Innovation in UCD School of Medicine.

Dr Freda Browne| Nursing, Midwifery & Health Systems

Freda is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing Midwifery and Health Systems and teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate nursing and midwifery programmes. Dr. Browne is the Programme Director for the BSc in General Nursing and a Module Co-ordinator and Lecturer on the undergraduate nursing programme. She is also a Module Co-ordinator on the MSc/ Graduate Certificate in Health Professional Education. Freda has over 13 years of experience in nurse education in both clinical education and higher education settings. Her research interests are in scholarship of teaching and learning, which is reflected in her teaching practice and publications. She has completed the Digital Badge in Universal Design in Teaching & Learning and the associated Facilitator's Badge in 2020.

Associate Professor Caitríona Cunningham | Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science

Caitríona is an Associate Professor at UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science. Her research and teaching focuses on musculoskeletal health, related health services and promotion of  physical activity and  exercise. She is a state registered Physiotherapist with over ten years clinical experience  and has a strong commitment to facilitating the translation of evidence into practice, with active involvement in national and international research, professional and community networks. As a former Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning, she promotes excellence in teaching and education developments across a range of health and sports programmes. She chairs the Widening Participation Outreach Coordinating Network. In 2015, she co founded the innovative UCD Physio Hub to facilitate the delivery of Physiotherapy-led exercise and health promotion programmes to a wider community and provide ‘real world’ learning and research opportunities.

Professor Keith Murphy | Science

Keith is Professor of Neuropharmacology and VP for Widening Participation for UCD College of Science.

Dr Ernesto Vasquez del Aguila | Social Sciences

Ernesto is an Assistant Professor at the School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice and the College of Social Sciences; Vice Principal for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion/Widening Participation, College of Social Sciences and Law; and University for All Faculty Partner. By background he is a medical anthropologist with a PhD from Columbia University, New York. He has published on areas of masculinities; sexual and reproductive rights; transnational migration; global health; and sexualities. He received the 'European Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Social Sciences and Humanities' (2023); UCD 'University level Teaching Excellence Award' (2023); the 'UCD Values in Action Award' (2023), and the 'Award for Excellence in Global Health' from the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University (2009). He co-edited Unsustainable Institutions of Men: Transnational Dispersed Centres, Gender Power, Contradictions (Routledge 2019) and is the author of Being a Man in a Transnational World: The Masculinity and Sexuality of Migration (Routledge 2014). He has previously taught at Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima; Georgetown University, Washington, DC; and at the University of the Philippines, Manila.

Dr Gavin Barrett | Law

Gavin is a professor specialising in EU Law in the Sutherland Law School, UCD, and the sometime Jean Monnet Professor of European Economic and Constitutional Law. He is the author or editor of several books on EU law, most recently co-editing The Future of Legal Europe: Will We Trust in It? and has published articles in the Common Market Law Review, the European Law Review, the European Constitutional Law Review, the Yearbook of European Law, the Cambridge Yearbook of European Legal Studies, the European Law Journal as well as numerous book chapters. He is a frequent contributor to both broadcast and written media. He was recently the recipient of a university research impact award and was previously the School Head of Teaching and Learning. He is coordinator of the Dublin EU Law Working Group as well as a frequent chair and contributor at the Institute of International and European Affairs. 

Dr Arun Kumar | Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Nursing

Arun is a clinician, drug discovery scientist, and entrepreneur, with over 15 years of research and teaching experience in pharmacology and regenerative medicine. Extensive international experience with over 100 peer-reviewed publications. He has successfully directed several projects in preclinical/clinical pharmacology, specifically in cardiovascular pathophysiology, diabetic complications, medical devices, arthritis, and regenerative medicine, which has resulted in either patentable products and/or high impact publications.

Dr Bairbre Fleming | Access and Lifelong Learning

Dr Fleming is Director of UCD Access & Lifelong Learning. She has extensive experience working with underrepresented students through the UCD Access Programmes, with particular emphasis on mature students and part-time learners. Her PhD drew on a sociological analysis of the experiences of mature students in higher education.

Jill O'Mahony | Admissions

Jill joined UCD in 2007 and currently works as Director of Admissions and Enrolment Planning. Jill's early student years were also spent in UCD in the Engineering and MBA programmes. Working with her colleagues in Admissions and other teams in UCD, Jill enjoys participating in all processes and reviews that influence the different cohorts of students entering UCD.

Dr David Foster | Career Development and Skills

Dr Foster is the UCD Director of Career Development and Skills and Director of UCD Careers Network. As such, David has both institutional and local responsibilities for the development, delivery, and enhancement of strategic initiatives and operations that enhance students’ personal, professional, and career development. In addition to working with students at all levels, a range of professional and career development services are offered to Postdoctoral Researchers. David has been an active member of professional associations and is currently a Director of the Association of Higher Education Careers Services and a member of the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services.

Mary Staunton | Communication & Marketing

Mary is Communications Manager at UCD. With a background in financial services, and working at UCD since 2007, Mary now works closely with the President's Office to ensure that the President's internal and external communications and speeches are consistent with the University's strategic messaging. She is protocol officer for the University, advising on and managing many key University events and produces the quarterly campus magazine, UCD Today. She is a firm believer in participation for all, in society, as well as in education, and is the representative of UCD University Relations on the committee.

PJ Barron | Estates Services

PJ is Director of Estates Operations & Services.

Caroline Hackman | IT Services

Caroline is Services Desk Manager.

Philip Russell | Library

Philip is Information Services Manager at the Library, University College Dublin. He has 25 years’ experience working in the library and information sector and previously held professional library posts at Technological University Dublin, Accenture, Trinity College Dublin and the Central Bank of Ireland. Philip has a deep commitment to creating an inclusive and equitable learning experience for everyone and has played a prominent role in this regard at institutional & national level, through various library positions and as Chair of the Library Association of Ireland’s Literacies Committee. Philip has published widely and is a regular contributor to national and international conferences and seminars. He holds a BA (Hons) in Arts from University College Dublin (UCD) and an MSc. in Information and Library Studies from Robert Gordon University (Aberdeen).

Susan McAlinden | Recruitment

Susan is Director of Student Recruitment in UCD Registry.

Dr Niamh Nestor | Student Advisory Service

Dr Niamh Nestor (she/her)is the Head of the UCD Student Advisory Service, where she leads a team of seventeen student affairs professionals. As a leader, Niamh is dedicated to creating a supportive, inclusive, and empathetic environment. Her leadership emphasises collaboration, empowerment, and a strong sense of responsibility toward both student welfare and staff development.

With a background in sociolinguistics and migration, Niamh’s doctoral research focused on the linguistic integration of Polish children and teenagers who migrated to Ireland following Poland’s EU accession in 2004. This work underpins her commitment to social justice and diversity, which is at the heart of her role at UCD. Niamh co-chairs both the UCD LGBTQIA+ Committee and the UCD LGBTQIA+ Staff Network, and is Professional Staff Partner as part of the University for All Professional Staff Partnership Programme which is designed to support and accelerate the implementation of Universal Design throughout UCD Student Supports and Services.

Niamh’s values are deeply rooted in the principles of equality, diversity, inclusion, and belonging. She actively supports initiatives that promote these ideals, ensuring that UCD remains a place where every individual can thrive. Her international experience, having lived and worked in Poland for five years, shapes her inclusive approach to leadership and inspires others to embrace diverse perspectives. Niamh is also an active member of Student Affairs Ireland, UKAT, AMOSSHE, and NASPA, continually enhancing her professional practice through these networks.

Dr Leigh Wolf | Teaching and Learning

Leigh Graves Wolf is teacher-scholar and an Assistant Professor in Educational Development with the Centre for Teaching and Learning at UCD. She teaches on the University Teaching and Learning programmes where she is module coordinator of Becoming a Better University Teacher. Her work focuses on online education, critical digital pedagogy, educator professional development and relationships mediated by and with technology. She is first in family to attend university and has worked across the educational spectrum from primary to higher to further and lifelong.  

Dr Lisa Padden | University for All

Dr Lisa Padden is Deputy Director of UCD Access & Lifelong Learning. Lisa has led on the University for All initiative in UCD since it’s inception. Lisa works to build capacity in Universal Design and UDL with colleagues across the tertiary sector through joint coordination of the Digital Badges for Universal Design. Lisa has been lead editor on four collections of UDL Case Studies and has co-wrote the Toolkit for Inclusive Higher Education Institutions.

Tristan Lennon

Martha Ní Riada | UCD Student Union President

Rory Carey | Human Resources

Rory is Director of Culture & Engagement.

Marcellina Fogarty | UMT EDI Committee

Marcellina is Strategic Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Manager.

Deirdre Healy | UCD Global

Deirdre is Associate Director, International Student Recruitment.

Emma Mescall | UCD Agile 

Emma has been working closely with the USM team in her representation of the UCD Operations Group since July 2020 & the extended Agile team since July 2021. She has held numerous roles across UCD since joining in November 2012. Emma has a MSc in Project Management from the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business. She has worked previously in several other third level institutions in Ireland since 2010, with international expertise at the heart of her early career. Most recently she has pivoted towards staff support project facing roles for programme development, consulting, event management, technology implementation and advanced communications. It is hoped that her diverse representation on several groups & collaboration with teams will prove valuable in terms of the transformation of service delivery and operations, with a people centred focus for the future for UCD.

University for All

University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
E: UniversityforAll@ucd.ie